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A group of 75 nurse externs, from all over the nation, began their summer emersion experience as UW Health Nurse Externs! The externs are nursing students graduating from nursing school within the next year. Externs are working at University Hospital, American Family Children’s Hospital, East Madison Hospital, and a variety of ambulatory clinics. They work alongside an RN clinical coach who serves as a mentor during the 10-week externship. This marks the second year of the UW Health Extern Program. Last year many nurse externs joined UW Health after graduation into our nationally recognized Nurse Residency program. We are grateful to have such amazing nurses to shepherd the next generation of nurses in the health care field.
The UW Health Transplant Center has launched a pediatric heart transplant program at American Family Children’s Hospital, strengthening the institution’s comprehensive offering of organ transplants and expanding regional access to this specialized level of care for children. The UW Health Transplant Center is one of just six centers in the nation, and the only one in the Midwest, that is actively transplanting the heart, kidney, liver, lung and pancreas for adults and kids, according to Dr. Dixon Kaufman, medical director, UW Health Transplant Center, and professor of surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
As part of UW Health’s ongoing commitment to addressing the nursing workforce shortage, the health system has partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and Madison College to create one of the nation’s first registered nurse apprenticeships. The four-year program is designed specifically to support racially, ethnically and socio-economically diverse health care personnel to pursue an associate degree in nursing and make them eligible to take the board examination to become registered nurses. Workforce shortages across the health care industry have reached crisis levels, with high turnover rates for nurses nationwide and limited educational opportunities for those wishing to become nurses, according to Rudy Jackson, chief nurse executive, UW Health.
University of Wisconsin Hospitals has been ranked 25th in the United States and 110th globally by Newsweek in their annual ranking of the World's Best Hospitals. This recognition is a testament to the outstanding patient care and innovative practices that our hospitals and providers are known for. Congratulations to all of our dedicated providers and staff on this remarkable achievement!
After earning his nursing degree from Madison Area Technical College, Neil Brauner started his career as a nursing assistant. He’s worked in the Neurology Intensive Care Unit and the Trauma and Life Support Center. After completing additional training, Neil now works at University Hospital and American Family Children’s Hospital as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). A CRNA is an advanced practice registered nurse who has specialized training in anesthesia. They administer anesthesia for procedures and surgeries, either alone or with a team of healthcare providers. “Being a CRNA involves an immense amount of trust between me and my patient and their family. Building that trust in the short minutes before taking the patient to the operating room is challenging and also rewarding. I help people get through some of the scariest moments in their life,” says Neil.
Internal medicine continually pushes nurse practitioner Meredith Arevalo to learn and gain new skills to help her patients. Sometimes this means learning about unusual conditions in the process of evaluating a patient’s symptoms and concerns. It also involves identifying the best type of care for each patient, whether that be in a primary care setting or with a specialist. Recently she’s been working on a quality improvement project to start providing medication for opioid use disorder within her primary care clinic. Her hope for this project is to streamline patient care for this chronic condition and improve access to medication, which has been shown to reduce hospitalization and death from overdose. “Working with my patients helps remind me of the importance of vulnerability. We ask this of our patients—to be vulnerable and share with us their lifestyle choices that can impact their health—to help us provide them with the best care possible,” says Meredith.
Her senior year in college, Jessica Derks trained in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and knew that was where she wanted to be. She’s now a nurse practitioner at American Family Children’s Hospital in the NICU. Early in her career, Jessica says one of her teachers taught her that babies whisper to us and it is her job to listen and react accordingly. She’s held onto that lesson her entire career. Bedside nursing is so vital, and she’s honored to be trusted by families to care for their fragile babies. “My little patients teach me to love. I am thankful to fight with them for their recovery and health. It’s the best gift,” says Jessica.
Amanda Breuer is a physician assistant (PA) with the electrophysiology team at UW Health. She’s inspired by the power of humans and the importance of human interaction. Amanda chose to become a PA because she values developing individualized treatment plans for patients and is passionate about a career that embraces the principles of patient education and communication, developing rapport and emphasizing health outcome improvements. Her patients have taught her that making a difference is not about gender, education, socioeconomic status, or ethnic background but rather it’s about measuring a person by the size of their heart. “They’ve taught me there is power in hope. One person can make a difference simply by giving another person hope,” says Amanda. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified nurse midwives are healthcare providers you may see during your visits with us. These providers are also referred to as advanced practice providers (APPs). We celebrate UW Health APPs who work in partnership with physicians to provide high quality care.
It started in 1993 with three employees and one goal: To help pediatric patients and their families cope with the challenges of coming to or staying in the hospital. Thirty years later, the Child Life program at American Family Children’s Hospital has 28 employees and robust services in place to help children, teens and families cope with the fear and anxiety associated with hospitalizations. March is National Child Life Month, when hospitals across the country celebrate the Child Life profession. Child Life specialists are medically trained professionals who help patients and families navigate and understand complex medical information during a stay at the hospital through play, creative activities and other learning opportunities, according to Katie Glass, child life education specialist, UW Health Kids. “We explain medical procedures and diagnoses in appropriate ways for each child to understand for their age and development,” she said. “We use play and other distractions to make the experience as positive as possible.”
Meet Dr. Betty Allen, co-chair of the UW Health Employee Resource Group (ERG) for Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPoC) Residents and Fellows. Dr. Allen is training to become an endocrine surgeon and was inspired to apply for residency with the University of Wisconsin Department of Surgery because of its reputation. But she says that UW Health and the department’s deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has made Madison a place where she feels she can truly thrive. A life-long resident of Chicago who received her medical degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago, Dr. Allen says being part of the employee resource group has had a significant impact on her. “For me personally, the greatest impact has been meeting the other residents and fellows who have become great friends,” she said. She also finds it rewarding to be present for the new resident applicants who are asking, “Are there other people who look like me here?” Professionally, chairing the ERG has positively impacted her skills in how to foster dialogue and understanding with the majority voice.
